Swiss people have just collectively celebrated the success of their national team, which – unlike the German national side – at least made it to the quarter-finals of the World Cup before being knocked out by Argentina.
A defeat on the global stage is clearly not the end of the world for the Swiss as 80 percent of them still look to the coming year with confidence, according to the results of a new report. On behalf of the insurance company Helvetia Baloise, 1,866 people in German-speaking and western Switzerland were surveyed.
"Our study shows that confidence does not emerge in a vacuum, but grows where people experience stability, closeness, encouragement and financial security," explains Markus Bucheli, Head of Marketing & Market Communication at Helvetia Switzerland.
German-speaking Swiss and older people are particularly optimistic
People in German-speaking Switzerland (compared with French-speaking Switzerland) – and Swiss citizens over the age of 65 – are particularly optimistic.
While 76 percent of those under 50 look to the near future with confidence, the figure rises to 86 percent among the over-65s. It is also – hardly surprisingly – clear that confidence is more widespread as income rises. The younger the respondents are, the greater the importance they attach to financial resources.
There is hardly any difference between women and men when it comes to a positive view of the future.
The most important goal in life, cited by 77 percent of respondents, is the wish to grow old in good health. About half of Swiss people dream of travelling or of a trip around the world.
When it comes to sources of confidence, friendships, love, family and health are clearly out in front, at around 50 percent.
Among respondents who wish to have a family, 81 percent believe they will achieve this goal or have already done so.
What worries people in Switzerland?
In June, voters rejected a fear-based campaign against excessive migration in a nationwide referendum. At the ballot box, it was above all people in western Switzerland and in the cities who rejected the SVP initiative against immigration.
What worries people in Switzerland most is the question of whether they will be able to grow old in good health (45 percent). Financial well-being is also seen as an area of concern, with 43 percent expecting potential problems.
Among Swiss people who earn less than 4,000 CHF (around 3,700 euros) a month, only 69 percent look to the future with confidence.
Lack of financial means and factors that cannot be influenced, such as health and fate, are seen in the study as the greatest obstacles to achieving personal life goals.
In the latest World Happiness Report, Switzerland ranked 10th – well behind the long-standing leaders Finland, Iceland and Denmark. Germany has meanwhile climbed to 17th place, five spots higher than in 2025.
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